Yes, April 23, 2007 is the real issue with this article. It has nothing to do with the site it is posted on.
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RadioShack Now Offering Mac Accessories
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Yes, April 23, 2007 is the real issue with this article. It has nothing to do with the site it is posted on.
re: Radio Shack
It's been so long since I paid much attention to Radio Shack, I'm not even sure how their pay works these days. But I used to have several friends who worked there, and we used to be big Radio Shack shoppers/fans back when the stores were still respectable (talking mid 1980's here, basically).
I know traditionally, the salespeople were paid on commission, but they generally didn't get a lot on typical store items. What made them the bigger money (relatively speaking anyway, since you didn't ever really get rich working at a Radio Shack!) were the "spiffs" on certain products. Basically, Tandy would send out a notice to employees that, for example, "Every DVD player of catalog # xxx-xxxx sold gives you a $50 spiff on top of the regular 5% commission." So when you encountered one of them really pushing you to buy a specific item or items? That was usually the motivation behind it.
I get the impression that these days, they're just desperate to sell you as much as possible of practically anything in the store they can ring up for you, so their paychecks aren't just minimum wage.
And yes, it's really the senior citizen crowd they seem to be after these days. I've seen their stock of the actual electronic hobbyist items dwindle over the years, to where you can hardly even go in a Radio Shack today and get specific capacitors or resistors you need. Even the car stereo installation gear is pretty minimal, and once upon a time -- that was something you could always get from an R/S store (even if it wasn't the best quality or price).
IMO though, the thing that really put them on the wrong path was becoming just another store selling other brands of merchandise. For all the making fun of Radio Shack branded products that used to go on? A lot of their stuff was actually really good and hard to find anything comparable elsewhere.
For example, they used to sell several complete P.A. systems. The speakers on them and the wattage they handled might not have been as good as the real "pro quality" gear you'd see in use in a live rock concert ... but it was perfect for your local churches or school gyms, or coffee-house musician. Their "Minimus 7" (later re-branded "Optimus 7") die-cast metal speakers were a GREAT value in bookshelf or surround sound speakers too.
They carried some of the best weather-radios and very good police scanners, and a couple of quite good CB radios (usually made by Uniden for them and re-branded). Of course, there was also their whole effort to make their own computer systems back in the 80's, too -- and MANY of us fondly remember cutting our teeth on home computing with the "TRS-80" series.
These days though, I just don't see the point to them? They sell a hodge-podge of other people's products, with typically poor inventory and poor pricing, plus sub-standard sales staff. What's to draw you in? I'm fine with them carrying Apple accessories, since it's just one more place I can try to grab one in a pinch. But R/S is dying a slow death.
It's been so long since I paid much attention to Radio Shack, I'm not even sure how their pay works these days. But I used to have several friends who worked there, and we used to be big Radio Shack shoppers/fans back when the stores were still respectable (talking mid 1980's here, basically).
I know traditionally, the salespeople were paid on commission, but they generally didn't get a lot on typical store items. What made them the bigger money (relatively speaking anyway, since you didn't ever really get rich working at a Radio Shack!) were the "spiffs" on certain products. Basically, Tandy would send out a notice to employees that, for example, "Every DVD player of catalog # xxx-xxxx sold gives you a $50 spiff on top of the regular 5% commission." So when you encountered one of them really pushing you to buy a specific item or items? That was usually the motivation behind it.
I get the impression that these days, they're just desperate to sell you as much as possible of practically anything in the store they can ring up for you, so their paychecks aren't just minimum wage.
And yes, it's really the senior citizen crowd they seem to be after these days. I've seen their stock of the actual electronic hobbyist items dwindle over the years, to where you can hardly even go in a Radio Shack today and get specific capacitors or resistors you need. Even the car stereo installation gear is pretty minimal, and once upon a time -- that was something you could always get from an R/S store (even if it wasn't the best quality or price).
IMO though, the thing that really put them on the wrong path was becoming just another store selling other brands of merchandise. For all the making fun of Radio Shack branded products that used to go on? A lot of their stuff was actually really good and hard to find anything comparable elsewhere.
For example, they used to sell several complete P.A. systems. The speakers on them and the wattage they handled might not have been as good as the real "pro quality" gear you'd see in use in a live rock concert ... but it was perfect for your local churches or school gyms, or coffee-house musician. Their "Minimus 7" (later re-branded "Optimus 7") die-cast metal speakers were a GREAT value in bookshelf or surround sound speakers too.
They carried some of the best weather-radios and very good police scanners, and a couple of quite good CB radios (usually made by Uniden for them and re-branded). Of course, there was also their whole effort to make their own computer systems back in the 80's, too -- and MANY of us fondly remember cutting our teeth on home computing with the "TRS-80" series.
These days though, I just don't see the point to them? They sell a hodge-podge of other people's products, with typically poor inventory and poor pricing, plus sub-standard sales staff. What's to draw you in? I'm fine with them carrying Apple accessories, since it's just one more place I can try to grab one in a pinch. But R/S is dying a slow death.
Agreed about the slow death. I recall in 80s that RS was the place to go for a lot of hard to find electronics and parts used in different hobbies. And I had some RS branded stuff back then that lasted a long time. Seems they'd do better focusing on Internet and serving niche markets instead of trying to be a mini best buy, but guess all those stores are hard to just shutter to whomever in charge.
Wow!It has been less than a week since an eight-year-old boy was murdered. It has been less than a day since a police officer was executed. And you say its time to move on and forget?
Getting on with other parts of one's life is one thing...forgetting is another. Those that forget are doomed to repeat.
Wow,
right back at u. This was an article about radio shack carrying apple accessories. I have a 7 year old and a 2 y/o..My heart goes out to the families of all the victims. What's crazy is the fact that your original post said "that this article is the last thing that should be on people's minds right now". But yet you obviously read the story and commented on it.
I just looked at their share price. From $80 to $3 since 2000!
That should give Apple some peace of mind. Makes the Cupertino Co look pretty good. I wonder who's idea this move was...
What's crazy is the fact that your original post said "that this article is the last thing that should be on people's minds right now". But yet you obviously read the story and commented on it.
My response was directed towards the meme that now that the suspects are captured it is time to "Move on and forget." I did not address the original premise, though I can sympathize with the thought. However, I can grieve appropriately and still pursue my interests at the same time.
But I will not forget Fr. Mychal Judge or Martin Richard.
Edit: Just re-read your reply. Please note that I am not the OP.
There is only one Mall*Wart anywhere near me in Watertown MA. It is many miles away, in an exurb. Even if they had a closer store, I wouldn't shop there, as it is responsible for way too much evil sheet.
Just goes to show what anecdotal "knowledge" is worth.
In their most recent fiscal quarter, their gross sales were $1,296,100,000.00.
While I definitely understand how you feel, I can tell you've never been in sales (or for very long because you're still basically a "kid") because you're not being fair. I've been in sales for over 20 years and I sold tech at a major electronics store for 11 years.
That's the way it is everywhere, especially in a commission-based sales environment. Best Buy employees are not even on commission yet their job is on the line if they don't push extended warranties. Companies are sales driven and employees are not suppose to assume that because a person is a 24 yr old hipster (not calling you a hipster, just making a point) that they know a ton about tech. They have to treat every customer as if they've never seen tech before.
If you're looking for a zero amount of sales pressure, be treated like you already know about the product you're buying, be treated like you're tech savvy then I suggest that you use either your mouse or trackpad and shop online. Your computer assumes you already know how to use it, the internet can't give you sales pressure to buy warranties and the product description is generally on the site so you don't need to ask someone for help. There ya go.
P.S. please don't assume that senior citizens are that gullible. They are the ones that have purchased tech back in the day when it was actually built well and mostly handcrafted so their tech never broke down. Senior citizens are the toughest sell for extended warranties.
My first computer was a TRS-80 Color computer (the first iteration I believe), bought from Radio Shack. That was a long time ago and to this day I wish instead that I had been an Apple ][ user.
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Or Crazy Eddie, apparently they carried Apple products back then (1:00):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi5HfjEFrF4
Did you want the Apple II from the start but settled for the TRS-80?
Anyway, the starting price of the Apple II was something like $1300 back in 1977, more than twice the one of the TRS-80 (and almost 3x of its pre-release price). This is equivalent to nearly $5000 in 2013-dollars, so I wonder how anyone at all could afford the Apple II at the time.
Did you want the Apple II from the start but settled for the TRS-80?
Anyway, the starting price of the Apple II was something like $1300 back in 1977, more than twice the one of the TRS-80 (and almost 3x of its pre-release price). This is equivalent to nearly $5000 in 2013-dollars, so I wonder how anyone at all could afford the Apple II at the time.
This was like 1982 or so. I was living in a very rural part of the country, so my only portal to the stuff was through catalogs and magazines - and the local Radio Shack. I vaguely remember comparing how many languages one type of computer vs another could understand, a rather misguided point of comparison. But if I wanted to go with the Apple II, I don't know how I would have done it, since there were no local stores that I recall. At least I didn't get a PET.
That said, it quickly started collecting dust. I learned basic on it but it really couldn't do much and the cassette tape storage was a pain. I put it aside and had nothing except a typewriter until my first 8 mhz PC XT "turbo" with two floppy drives only (haha) in the summer of 1987.
Even though I lusted after Macs, I had PCs all the way until the fall of 1993, when I got a PowerBook 145B. (I remember getting a third party battery that basically made that thing nuclear powered.)
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Nothing wrong with it, but it looks like a true Apple fanboy looks down on every other retailer, such as Best Buy, Fry's or RadioShack.
I don't 'look down' on other retailers, I just have experienced years of neglect by these retailers regarding Apple products. Going into a store to look at a Mac and being directed to PCs, unstaffed Apple sections, ignorance about the product line, etc. I remember local user groups volunteering to staff the Mac sections of some retailers, because of the sales people's ignorance or hostility towards Mac was so great.
When I lived in the bay area, I loved Fry's for my PC needs. Don't know if it has changed recently, but their customer service wasn't the best. I managed a RadioShack and know that the sales staff will focus on whatever is being spiffed. I don't see that being to Apple's benefit.
older crowds
I never shop at the shack, cause i know i can find a better deal online. thats not the case for my elderly mother. radio shack survives cause of all the seniors and non-techies out there. whenever my mother needs something tech related the first thing out of her mouth is "let's go to radio shack"
I never shop at the shack, cause i know i can find a better deal online. thats not the case for my elderly mother. radio shack survives cause of all the seniors and non-techies out there. whenever my mother needs something tech related the first thing out of her mouth is "let's go to radio shack"
